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I ended up buying that Juki 563 from Monterey Boat Company. I had consulted with Bob about it and he indicated it would be an awesome back up / second machine for the shop. He felt $ 400 for the head, table and a motor was a great deal.

I got it home and cleaned it all up. Blew the entire thing out with air and cleaned the table, motor, etc. I managed to get it threaded ( first top loading bobbin I have ever seen in person ) and sewed a little with it.I learned one thing real fast - I do NOT like clutch motors. It is a shame because its a new motor. After sewing on a servo and having amazing control with it the jack rabbit starts of these clutch motors drive me nuts. I will be having Bob ship me a new servo very soon.

I was glad to see the Made In Japan plate on the machine. I have heard they are very high quality machines.

Lu563 is one of the most popular walking foot machines over the last 25 years. You in good company with that now sought after machine. Juki made three different frames, last model was the lu563n. The n was not so improved, but more common to see the older ones. Parts genuine and generic are easy to obtain. I know you have a good guy to assist, but good luck with the machine, you have a winner, even if its not working.

Bob T is a 563 guy. I sewed on a 562 for over 20 years (smaller bobbin-only difference). You REALLY gotta hold on to the thread to start sewing. It seems like top loaders are more prone to thread wrapping around the bobbin.I was surprised to see how much bigger the widest stitch length was on my 1508 compared to the 562 (almost twice). How does the widest setting on your 563 compare with your Chandler?

Funny you mention about holding onto the thread on the top load machines. Bob lectured me about that today and said " you have to hold the threads when you start sewing or you will bugger up the hook assembly. He was right as I forgot to do that.

It sews real nice and is smooth running but I have had little time to play with the stitch adjustments or anything else. This is an " N " model but I have no idea how old it is. Heck I have no idea what the " N " designation means. I was able to locate a manual for it on the internet but the pictures are terrible.

Once I get the chance to play around with it and read through the manual I will report back on it. I told Bob today that I was glad he recommended buying it. That way if anything goes wrong with it I can blame him.......lol...... I like the machine I just hate that frigging clutch motor.

I told my wife " hey honey, I bought you a new machine today ". She took one look at it and said " I am a seamstress not a dang upholsterer ". She did say she was going to do some sewing for me to help me get caught up. She has sewed on my Chandler making leather purses and picked up on it real fast and really likes that machine. But when she sat down at the Juki tonight she wasn't ready for that jack rabbit start and ran the material right out past the needle. I tried not to laugh as I could see she was not impressed with the motor...... LOL

One other thing, I hate hearing that motor run all the time. I am so used to things being quiet when I am not stitching. This motor wont be around much longer.

I have a 563 and I'm a big fan of the machine. I've sewn some amazing stuff with it and I'm always pleased with the job it does. I second the idea to hold the threads on the first two or three stitches. For lockstitch, I usually back up for the first two stitches then go forward. Great machine! I've had it maybe 8 or 9 years and have never once knocked it out of time. It makes tough sewing easy.

Latest style before they were discontinued, Juki LU563N (N=New style) is white in color, compared to the older model that's gold/greenish color. N means that they have changed some of the parts and components on the machine from the original. Non of the most common parts, like feet, feed, plate, needle bar, hook, or anything most would pay attention to have been changed, most changes are in the bed, specifically to the reverse mechanism, that I can think of off hand. Why did they change parts out, I have no idea, as the original was pretty darn solid. Either way, you should be just as happy with either or model.

Chirs,As mentioned, the stitch length on the LU-563N is going to be about half (5 SPI I belive) that your Chandler CM406RB-1. Just so that you know nothing is wrong with the Juki! New model that Superseeds this, the LU-1508N has a longer SPI, just like your Chandler. Also, if you are getting Jack Rabbit starts, try to losen the belt tension on the motor. If it's too tight, it will go from 0-60 in 1.2 sec.! People have been using standard clutch motors for over fifty years, and they offer some control on the low end, if you get used to it. Just so long as they don't have a 5" OD pulley or a 3450RPM motor, then I can't help! But not many would think so, but a tight belt will do this on a clutch motor while engaging the clutch.

AtsTHAt's a great machine I've got a juki copy of my singer. I really love the top load on the bobbin plate inmiunt a binder /folder to the plate when I'm not binding I remove it at replace with a empty plate. Much better then the swing away where the mount is still in the way swung away

AtsTHAt's a great machine I've got a juki copy of my singer. I really love the top load on the bobbin plate inmiunt a binder /folder to the plate when I'm not binding I remove it at replace with a empty plate. Much better then the swing away where the mount is still in the way swung away

Some parts and componnets are the same and simular on a Juki LU-562/3, to that of a Singer 111W155, but they are very different machines in many respects, and just so there is no confusion, it's not an exact part for part copy. Consew 225, for example, now THAT's an exact Seiko manufactered copy, part for part, screw for screw of the Singer 111W155.

Not to be a know it all, but just so folks do try to rely on this information and come up with the wrong parts or owners information. BUT yes, they have a lot in common for sure.

Chris, Congrats on the new (used) machine I'm sure your gonna like it.Just a heads up for you & anyone else,one of the improvements on the machine was to eliminate the oil hole for the bushing on the bottom shaft on the far right side.We just had a 563 N come in that was tied up & had to pull the lower shaft out buff off the shaft & polish the bushing.SO you need to put some oil on it,probably the best way would be to take the head out of the table,stand it up on the flywheel end,take the collar off the shaft & put some oil on it & turn it around alittle so it can work into it & put the collar back on.I think maybe once a month would be more than enough.We've sold alot of these & this is the first one but I doubt if it'll be the last.Greg,Have you seen this happen yet?Bob

One of the reasons I bought this Juki was because all of my bobbins, attachments and feet for my Chandler can be used on the Juki. I considered a Pfaff and an Adler but did not want the added headache and expense of buying all new attachments, etc. and anything for an Adler and Pfaff are twice the price for the other machines. ( Those Germans are very proud of their parts ).

When I decided to buy a second machine I wrote down my wants and needs and then started searching according to that. 1.) Walking foot 2.) Good quality machine 3.) Compatible with my Chandler 4.) Fairly easy to work on and adjust.

If anyone is looking for a used machine I advise you to contact Bob or Greg and have them help you with your decision. I wasn't going to make a move and buy a machine without running it past Bob first and thank God I did because he saved me from making a very stupid purchase. I am sure Greg would be just as helpful and would gladly help you with your decision on a used machine if you told em your current set-up.

Bob knew what my other machine was because I bought it from him so he knew which machines to steer me towards and away from. I know both Bob and Greg are in the business to sell new machines but Bob put his needs aside and helped me and I am sure Greg would do the same. There is nothing wrong with consulting the experts first before making a decision like that.

Overall I think I made a good decision and I believe I paid a very fair price for the machine.

Chris, Congrats on the new (used) machine I'm sure your gonna like it.Just a heads up for you & anyone else,one of the improvements on the machine was to eliminate the oil hole for the bushing on the bottom shaft on the far right side.We just had a 563 N come in that was tied up & had to pull the lower shaft out buff off the shaft & polish the bushing.SO you need to put some oil on it,probably the best way would be to take the head out of the table,stand it up on the flywheel end,take the collar off the shaft & put some oil on it & turn it around alittle so it can work into it & put the collar back on.I think maybe once a month would be more than enough.We've sold alot of these & this is the first one but I doubt if it'll be the last.Greg,Have you seen this happen yet?Bob

Bob,

YES, I've seen quite a few things with NEW, from factory issues with the new and not so improved parts and components of the LU-563Ns. Things that you would normally never see on the older frames. Come to think of it, I've seen more hardly used, non working LU-563Ns for repair because they were not working out of the box than used working ones. Quite surprising for Juki standards. Keep in mind I'm not talking about dozens of machines here. The run on LU-563N was short lived, compared to the earlier frames, and I've only come accross a small number of them. Don't recall that we sold a lot of them, either, for whatever reason at that time.

LU-563N IS A GOOD, VERY GOOD machine, not bashing here. Anybody who has one should feel lucky to have one. It's kind of like when Singer went from the 111W series to the 211 series; they made a lot of changes that were also not so improved. The reverse hammers, safety clutches incorporated into the stitch length adjustments on some models, very questionable engineering, and non better than their predecessor.

Thanks for that manual. That is a MUCH better copy then I have. I couldn't see the pics in the other one I got.

I just got off the phone with Bob and he talked me through the setup of the Juki. I bet Bob wished I would have bought my machine from you so I wouldn't drive him crazy like I do.

Since I had him on the phone I also ordered a new servo and belt and cannot wait till it gets here. Have I told ya'll how much I hate clutch motors ?............lol......

The Juki I have is definitely an N model but is that hammered grey color. All their 563's were grey. The factory where I got it must have done a great job of keeping this machine oiled because it was loaded with oil all over it and underneath. It looked like it took a bath in oil. I did what Bob said and set the head on the pulley and removed that collar and oiled it. Pretty simple job but dang these heads weigh a ton.

Thanks for that manual. That is a MUCH better copy then I have. I couldn't see the pics in the other one I got.

I just got off the phone with Bob and he talked me through the setup of the Juki. I bet Bob wished I would have bought my machine from you so I wouldn't drive him crazy like I do.

Since I had him on the phone I also ordered a new servo and belt and cannot wait till it gets here. Have I told ya'll how much I hate clutch motors ?............lol......

The Juki I have is definitely an N model but is that hammered grey color. All their 563's were grey. The factory where I got it must have done a great job of keeping this machine oiled because it was loaded with oil all over it and underneath. It looked like it took a bath in oil. I did what Bob said and set the head on the pulley and removed that collar and oiled it. Pretty simple job but dang these heads weigh a ton.

Chris

Now I think about it, I DO remember seeing some of the honey color N models. Again, I haven't seen hundreds of these N models flying around. The white are the newer ones, but again, I think I remember the white ones being the ones showing up with out of the box problems.